Secure User Authentication for Bluetooth Enabled Computer Storage Devices

1. A system for secure user authentication comprising: a portable data storage device operably coupled with a host computing device, at least one of the portable data storage device or the host computing device being Bluetooth enabled, the portable data storage device comprising memory configured to store authentication information for access thereto, wherein the portable data storage device is a removable data storage device; and a portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device operable in a non-discoverable mode and configured to provide the authentication information to the portable data storage device via the host computing device for access to data stored on the portable data storage device through the host computing device, wherein the secure user authentication is required prior to access to the data stored on the portable data storage device; wherein access to the data stored on the portable data storage device is permitted via Bluetooth communication of the authentication information between the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device and the at least one Bluetooth enabled portable data storage or host computing device, when the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device is detected within a maximum Bluetooth range of the at least one Bluetooth enabled portable data storage or host computing device; wherein the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device is able to receive and respond to Bluetooth requests while non-discoverable, wherein the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device operates in the non-discoverable mode such that the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device is not identifiable to other Bluetooth enabled devices performing discovery functions; and wherein the Bluetooth communication of the authentication information is performed with the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device operating in the non-discoverable mode to establish the secure user authentication absent Bluetooth pairing between the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device and the at least one Bluetooth enabled portable data storage or host computing device.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the authentication information comprises a Bluetooth name and address of the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device stored on the portable data storage device.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the Bluetooth communication comprises transmission from the at least one Bluetooth enabled portable data storage or host computing device of the Bluetooth name of the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the authentication information comprises a unique identifier and an authentication key for the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the Bluetooth communication comprises transmission of the authentication key from the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device to the at least one Bluetooth enabled portable data storage or host computing device.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the authentication key is automatically cycled between a plurality of such authentication keys.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the portable data storage device comprises a USB flash drive.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device comprises a mobile phone or smartphone.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an authentication control application loaded on the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device, the authentication control application executable to set the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device to discoverable mode and request a unique identifier from the portable data storage device.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the maximum Bluetooth range is a predetermined configured range of less than five meters.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the maximum Bluetooth range is limited only by Bluetooth capabilities of the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device and the at least one Bluetooth enabled portable data storage or host computing device.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the Bluetooth requests comprise a request for a Bluetooth name associated with a Bluetooth address of the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device, the Bluetooth name stored in the portable data storage device.

13. A system for secure user authentication, the system comprising: a configuration utility for setting up a portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device as an authentication factor for access to at least a portion of memory on a portable data storage device operably coupled to a host computing device, the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device operable in a non-discoverable mode, wherein the portable data storage device is a removable data storage device; authentication information stored on the portable data storage device for the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device set up as the authentication factor; and an access module permitting access to the at least a portion of the memory on the portable data storage device through the host computing device via Bluetooth communication of the authentication information between the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device and the portable data storage device via the host computing device to which the portable data storage device is operably coupled, the at least one portable data storage or host computing device being Bluetooth enabled, when the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device is detected within no more than a Bluetooth range of the at least one of the portable data storage or host computing device; wherein the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device is able to receive and respond to Bluetooth requests while non-discoverable, wherein the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device operates in the non-discoverable mode such that the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device is not identifiable to other Bluetooth enabled devices performing discovery functions; and wherein the Bluetooth communication of the authentication information is performed with the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device operating in the non-discoverable mode to establish the secure user authentication absent Bluetooth pairing between the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device and the at least one Bluetooth enabled portable data storage or host computing device, wherein the secure user authentication is required prior to the access.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the authentication information comprises the Bluetooth name and address of the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device stored on the portable data storage device.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the Bluetooth communication comprises transmission from the at least one Bluetooth enabled portable data storage or host computing device of the Bluetooth name of the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the authentication information comprises a unique identifier for the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device and an authentication key.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the Bluetooth communication comprises transmission from the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device of the authentication key to the at least one of the portable data storage or host computing device.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the authentication key is automatically cycled between a plurality of such authentication keys.

19. The system of claim 13 , wherein the portable data storage device comprises an archival storage system operably coupled to the host computing device over a network.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the portable data storage device comprises a cloud storage device, and wherein the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device is accessed via an application installed on the host computing device.

21. The system of claim 19 , wherein the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device is within the Bluetooth range of the host computing device.

22. The system of claim 19 , wherein the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device is outside of the Bluetooth range of the portable data storage device.

23. The system of claim 13 , wherein the Bluetooth requests comprise a request for a Bluetooth name associated with a Bluetooth address of the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device, the Bluetooth name stored in the portable data storage device.

24. A method for secure user authentication comprising: permitting access to data stored on a portable data storage device operably coupled to a host computing device when a portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device is brought within a Bluetooth range of the portable data storage device or the host computing device, the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device operable in a non-discoverable mode and configured to provide authentication information and at least one of the portable data storage device or the host computing device being Bluetooth enabled, the portable data storage device comprising memory configured to store the authentication information for access thereto, wherein the portable data storage device is a removable data storage device; wherein permitting access to the data stored on the portable data storage device comprises Bluetooth communication of the authentication information from the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device to the portable data storage via the host computing device when the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device is detected within the Bluetooth range; wherein the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device is able to receive and respond to Bluetooth requests while non-discoverable, wherein the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device operates in the non-discoverable mode such that the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device is not identifiable to other Bluetooth enabled devices performing discovery functions; and wherein the access is permitted to the portable data storage device based on the Bluetooth communication of the authentication information with the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device operating in the non-discoverable mode to establish the secure user authentication absent Bluetooth pairing between the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device and the at least one of the portable data storage or host computing device, wherein the secure user authentication is required prior to access to the data through the host computing device.

25. The method of claim 24 , further comprising receiving from the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device, and storing in the memory of the portable data storage device, the authentication information for access to the portable data storage device when the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device is brought within the Bluetooth range of the at least one of the portable data storage or host computing device.

26. The method of claim 25 , wherein at least a portion of the authentication information comprises an authorization key generated by the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device.

27. The method of claim 24 , further comprising providing a plurality of such portable Bluetooth enabled authentication devices to a plurality of users for authenticating each of the users to access the portable data storage device.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein permitting access to the portable data storage device comprises authenticating at least one of the users based on the user bringing any one of the plurality of portable Bluetooth enabled authentication devices within no more than the Bluetooth range of the at least one of the portable data storage or host computing device.

29. The method of claim 27 , further comprising generating an authentication file for authorization of each of the plurality of users for access to the portable data storage device.

30. The method of claim 29 , wherein the authentication file comprises a plurality of entries, each of the entries having a user field for identifying at least one of the plurality of users.

31. The method of claim 30 , wherein each of the plurality of entries in the authentication file comprises a type field for identifying a password or Bluetooth name of the entry for each of the at least one identified users.

32. The method of claim 31 , wherein each of the plurality of entries in the authentication file further comprises a hash field comprising a hash of the type field.

33. The method of claim 32 , wherein each of the plurality of entries in the authentication file further comprises a salt field comprising data for strengthening the hash field, and wherein the hash field indicates results of hashing the salt field plus the type field identifying the password or Bluetooth name.

34. The method of claim 24 , wherein the Bluetooth requests comprise the host computing device sending a request for a Bluetooth name associated with a Bluetooth address of the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device, the Bluetooth name stored in the portable data storage device.

35. The method of claim 5 , wherein access to encrypted data on the portable data storage device is based on detection and recognition of unique device identification values collected from the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device and established in a Bluetooth device setup and configuration utility included on the portable data storage device.

36. The method of claim 35 , further comprising using the unique Bluetooth device identification values together as a set to allow for user authentication to access the encrypted data on the portable data storage device.

37. The method of claim 35 , further comprising using the unique Bluetooth device identification values in individual pairings to allow for user authentication to access the encrypted data on the portable data storage device.

38. The method of claim 35 , further comprising using the unique Bluetooth device identification values for single factor authentication to allow for automatic user authentication to access the portable data storage device.

39. The method of claim 35 , further comprising hashing the unique Bluetooth identification values to create a unique authentication protection key stored on the portable data storage device, wherein the unique authentication protection key is used for protecting a data encryption key that provides access to the encrypted data on the portable data storage device.

40. The method of claim 39 , further comprising providing automatic authentication services for user authentication to access the portable data storage device by carrying the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device in close proximity to the portable data storage device without user-performed authorization steps.

41. The method of claim 40 , wherein providing automatic authentication services is performed from an application running on one or both of the host computing device and the portable data storage device.

42. The method of claim 41 , wherein the application identifies the portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device as a previously registered Bluetooth enabled device.

43. The method of claim 42 , wherein the application identifies the previously registered Bluetooth enabled device using a unique Bluetooth device identification value of the previously registered Bluetooth enabled device.

44. The method of claim 42 , further comprising unlocking the unique authentication protection key based on a match of the unique Bluetooth device identification value of the previously registered portable Bluetooth enabled authentication device to a Bluetooth name stored on the portable data storage device.

45. The method of claim 44 , further comprising allowing access to the data encryption key by the application running on one or both of the host computing device and the portable data storage device for encrypting or decrypting files on the portable data storage device.